A storage apparatus provides data storage areas for an application running on a host computer (hereinafter “host”) such as a server computer, and typically includes a plurality of physical storage media and a storage controller creating logical storage areas from a physical storage area of the physical storage media and controlling data I/O processing between the logical storage areas and the host.
Hard disk drives (hereinafter “HDDs”) are for example employed as the physical storage media. In order to improve reliability of the stored data, a RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive (or Independent) Disks) scheme is employed that provides logical storage areas with redundancy.
A storage controller of a storage apparatus has, for example, for implementing the above data I/O processing, a plurality of circuit boards storing a processor for executing various control programs, a memory device for storing various data and programs, communication interfaces for providing communication with an external network and the like, a power supply for supplying electric power to various parts of the controller, and so on. In recent years, demand for increases in data storage capacity, upgrading of data I/O processing, and the like have resulted in high-density mounting of circuit components on the circuit boards, an increase in the number of the circuit boards to be stored in the controller, employment of a high speed microprocessor, and so on. Accordingly, heat amount generated from the circuit boards stored in the storage controller continues to increase, and efficient cooling of the circuit boards and the components mounted thereon is strongly demanded.
From this point of view, PTL 1 illustrates a cooling structure of a rack mount type storage controlling apparatus that provides efficient cooling of an inner space of a chassis in which, at a front side and a rear side of a connecting board thereof, a group of control boards and power supply devices are respectively installed in high density.